Note: This message was originally sent on January 8, 2019
Linda McKay Clark Work Award
Established in 2013
Awarded for the first time in 2018-19
Linda Clark (’72) worked hard for her education. No one in her family had ever gone to college, but Linda was determined to spread her wings. Her parents, however, weren’t entirely convinced that a college education was needed.
“My father said he would pay for the first semester to see how it goes,” she said, “but after that, he told me he didn’t want to pay for it anymore and that it was not necessary.” In spite of the lack of financial support, Linda was determined to get her degree. She sought out a student loan, carried a full course load and was working two jobs when the time came for her to take a class that included an internship at an advertising agency.
“At that time, if you were an intern getting class credit, you couldn’t be paid,” Linda recalls, adding, “I would have had to give up one of my jobs.” Because her jobs were such a big part of financing her education, her advisor made special arrangements so Linda could be paid by the advertising agency and still receive credit for her internship. “I thought that was really exceptional,” said Linda of the arrangements, which made it possible for her to maintain an income.
“I’ve just never forgotten all the support and all the help,” she said. In 2013, Linda endowed the Linda McKay Clark Work Award as part of the Gonzaga Will campaign. “I had some money with which to do whatever I wanted, and Gonzaga was the highest on my list,” she said. Linda generously created this award to help students who may be going through a situation similar to what she experienced.
Linda says that it was “just luck” that brought her to Gonzaga in the first place, but over time, GU became something that would shape the rest of her life. “It was such an honor and a privilege to be accepted to Gonzaga,” she said. “To have that opportunity – I think it gave me the confidence to reach for things that I may have never thought to reach for. I’ve had a wonderful life, and Gonzaga was the springboard.”
The Linda McKay Clark Work Award was awarded for the first time during the 2018-2019 school year. The student recipient has the opportunity to earn up to $4,500 for the year, based on the current minimum wage in Washington State.